Grindhouse Weekly: TURKEY SHOOT (1982)

When exploitation cinema had its boom in the 70s and 80s, the US wasn’t the only country that hopped on the bandwagon.  Australia produced a slew of great titles during this time, such as Road Games, Wake in Fright, and the film we’ll be discussing today, Turkey Shoot.  To learn more about the “Ozploitation” movement, it’s highly recommended to check out the documentary Not Quite Hollywood, which explores this movement and many of the influential films involved. 

Turkey Shoot, known as Escape 2000 in the States, is one of the more widely known and infamous of the Ozploitation flicks, due to its over the top violence and brutality.  Released in 1982 and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, the film plays out much like a futuristic version of The Most Dangerous Game, or, for those that grew up in the 90s, Surviving the Game with Ice-T.

In the year 2000, we see a dystopian future where a ruthless Orwellian government rules over its people with an iron fist, placing “social deviants” into horrific prison camps.  After being humiliated and tortured, a small group of prisoners agree to a deal that will allow them to go free, if they survive being hunted by a gang of rich people.

At the time of its release, this concept may have been slightly original, however after The Running Man, Surviving the Game, Battle Royale, Series 7, The Hunger Games, and probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting, it felt stale.  Obviously this isn’t a knock against the film, and, if anything, this just shows that it was ahead of its time.

Some films slightly blur the line between being exploitation and simply genre cinema- not this movie.  The entire first act plays out like a “women in prison” film, complete with co-ed shower scenes and plenty of violence and nudity.  The real gore doesn’t begin until they commence the hunt, however.   Dismembered limbs, arrows through the face, explosions, Turkey Shoot has it all.

While some of the hunters prefer more sporting methods, such as a bow or rifle, one character prefers using a bulldozer to run down his prey.  Not only that, but he enlists the help of some sort of wolfman-like creature to help him and sports a rocket launcher.  Though most of the film is played straight, some elements like this are clearly designed to pull in some laughs.

Like many films in this same vein, it’s billed as a satire, however any message that’s being attempted is completely overshadowed by the ridiculous level of violence.  This in turn, makes the story feel less preachy and in the end, more fun.

Turkey Shoot may feel like familiar territory for most that see it today, but it’s still an over the top cult classic that is entirely deserving of a watch.  If you’re looking for an introduction into Australian genre cinema, this should definitely be on your list.  Plus, to my knowledge, we don’t get to see someone literally ripped to shreds by a machine gun in The Hunger Games.